This pilot randomized study examines the feasibility and preliminary effects of a Naturalistic Teaching (NT)-based group psychoeducation program for parents of autistic preschool children in Türkiye. After providing consent, parents are randomized to one of three conditions: (1) a 10-week NT-based group psychoeducation program delivered weekly (90 minutes per session), (2) a single-session general parenting seminar that does not include autism-specific content (attention control), or (3) a wait-list control group that receives access to intervention materials after the post-test. The primary outcome is parental self-efficacy, assessed using parent-report questionnaires. Outcomes are measured at baseline and post-test, and a later follow-up assessment is used to evaluate whether improvements are maintained. The study also tracks feasibility indicators such as retention and session attendance.

The intervention is a Naturalistic Teaching (NT)-based group psychoeducation program for parents of autistic preschool children. The program includes 10 weekly sessions (90 minutes each) focused on increasing parents' confidence and skills to use everyday routines to support their child, with emphasis on routine-embedded strategies and parent empowerment. The comparator conditions include an attention control (single-session general parenting seminar) and a wait-list control. The primary outcome is parental self-efficacy; secondary outcomes include feasibility indicators (retention and attendance) and maintenance assessed at follow-up on January 13, 2025.

Inclusion Criteria:Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (18 years or older).
• Primary caregiver (e.g., mother/father) of a preschool-aged child with autism spectrum disorder.
• Able to attend the sessions (if assigned to the intervention/attention control) and complete study questionnaires.
• Provides informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to provide informed consent.
• Insufficient proficiency in Turkish to complete questionnaires and participate in sessions.

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) that underlie the results reported in the manuscript.

Beginning 3 months after study completion and ending 5 years after study completion.

IPD and supporting documents will be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author after publication. Requests will be reviewed for scientific merit and compliance with ethics approval and applicable regulations. Data will be provided in de-identified form only, to qualified researchers for non-commercial purposes, under a data use agreement, and via a secure file transfer method.